Two Sides Of The Same Coin
by Mimi Sakura
Summary: 2 years after Moo's defeat a sickly Genki is summonded back to the monster world along with his twin brother, but this time around Genki does not want to go back. Will Holly and the others be able find out what has made him change so much?
1. Twins

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN  
  
Chapter one; Twins  
  
Genki sighed laying sprawled out on his bed, his head half off the mattress as he stared out his bed room window at the setting sun which turned the sky a diffused golden pink. The pollution made thick purple smog clouds. The dirt and unfriendliness of the city was still something he was having a hard time adjusting too. It had been two years since his adventures in the monster world came to an end. Well, almost three, in two weeks he would turn thirteen years old, but he really did not care about that. He wasn't looking forward to it. Everyday that went by without his friends, Holly, Mocchi, Suzo, Tiger, Hare, Golem., was a nightmare. It felt with every moment that ticked by that they were getting farther and farther away. He did not play monster games anymore, in fact he gave away the majority of his monster stuff unable to endure the memories-no, it was more that he was unable to endure the fact that they weren't real anymore-once again the monster world was just a game... He'd be the first one to admit that he had fallen into a helpless rut, he just did not feel like doing anything anymore. His grief over the lost of his friends had been so profound that he had taken ill the first night at home and since then he had been weak and unable to do much of anything anymore-most of the time he was bedridden, he had lost almost, if not all, of his energy and he rarely smiled anymore. How could he? Now that all his friends were gone...he just could not find the will power to smile. His family had been worried about him of course when he had gone missing during his stay in the monster world, but he never told them the truth of what had happened. He had took advantage of his illness to fake memory lost. Today was almost like every other day of his deep depression, except that it was worst since it was coming closer and closer to the date where the adventure had ended . To think-the worst day of his life turned out to be on his very birthday...some birthday present that was...  
  
"Genki...?"  
  
He glanced at the closed door as the voiced called his name. "Come in."  
  
His brother Senki came into the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Senki was the only one he was still close to, but even him he never told the adventure of the monster world about. Senki was a tall, lanky boy with dark brown hair with messy bangs and a short spiky pony tail, he wore a pair of baggy blue jeans, a loose white T shirt with a long sleeved black shirt underneath, with a blue base ball cap that had an orange S on the back of it. Senki looked just like him, which made sense because they were identical twins. Even their hair was the same, when Genki had decided to let his grow out Senki copied him, copying him was something that Senki liked to do. Even their clothes were almost the same. Genki himself wore a pair of baggy blue jeans, except he had a loose *black* T shirt with a long sleeved *white* shirt underneath with his usual orange baseball cap with the blue G in the back. Senki was the elder of the twins, but even so he had always been the more dependant one, at least until recently, being that he had a shy and withdrawn nature. He had taken his absence while he was away in the monster world rather hard. He remembered that night when he came back that Senki had latched onto him and cried, and cried, and cried, and begged him never to leave like that again. Genki had promised that he wouldn't feeling guilty about making his brother cry, but...when he took ill he had to go in the hospital for a few months, leaving Senki at home by himself again. Senki came everyday as early as humanly possible to visit him and stayed until closing time. Now that he was back home, Senki was still depressed because he was not acting like his old self. There was hardly a minuet when he wasn't in his room with him.  
  
"Senki, what is it?" Genki asked as his brother sat down next to him on the bed.  
  
"I know I said this before, but I'm worried about you. You've changed since you went missing that time...."  
  
Changed. Yes, he suppose that he had changed a lot since those days. Who wouldn't of? Seeing all of his friends die...and being the one whom kind of killed them because he had been the one to fuse them into the Phoenix. He had saw so much pain in that world and had fought so many hard battles and in the end of it all, he had ended up being gotten rid of the second he wasn't needed anymore. It felt as though the whole monster world had betrayed him. Since then he was afraid to have friends, not wanting to loose them or hurt them, and he had been afraid to trust others-he did not want to be used and then tossed aside when he wasn't needed ever again. This caused him to become anti-social, bitter and reclusive. When he looked at himself in the mirror he did not see that clear eyed ten year old boy looking back at him anymore... No doubt Senki noticed the change in his expression, Senki noticed everything. They had a bond between then, a sort of twin physic connection- they could even tell what the other was thinking just by being in the same room with him. Sometimes they could even speak to each other with their mind or see what the other was seeing-some people thought it was freaky, others thought it was cool. He did not know if it was freaky or cool, perhaps it was both.  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"............"  
  
"Before then we could tell each other anything. Genki...don't you trust me anymore?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"Then why wont you tell me what happened to you?" Senki looked up at him sadly. "You promised me once when we were small...no secrets."  
  
"You'd never believe me."  
  
"Genki..." Senki sounded hurt.  
  
Genki rolled over onto his stomach with a sigh, the sun had went down entirely leaving only a flicker of light remaining.  
  
"It's not that I don't trust you Senki...it's just that even I am finding it hard to believe it happened myself. If I told you, it would only burden and trouble you so just forget about it. It doesn't matter, I'm hear now."  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Still a bit weak, and I can't stand for long without getting dizzy but I'll be alright. It's not as bad as it usually is."  
  
"That's good." Senki was silent for a few moments before finally speaking again. They had the same voice, almost except that Senki was a lot more quite when he spoke. "Genki, why not we go outside? You've haven't been out in a long while...."  
  
"I can't go far..."  
  
"I know. Just down to the park, we use to go bladeing there all the time there."  
  
"I'd love to blade...but..."  
  
"I know. Could you watch a few of my new moves then?"  
  
"Sure. Ok." Genki smiled at his brother who rushed off to get his skates excitedly.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
The short ten minuet walk to the park had exhausted him. It was kind of shameful considering how much energy he use to have. Genki did not think he would ever recover from the illness. He knew it was more physiological then anything else, but the depression had taken an tremendous toll on both his body and spirit. Still he smiled as he watched Senki zip back and forth on his skates. While Genki's skates had been orange and yellow, the main part orange, Senki's skates were the same color except that the main part of them were yellow. Most of their items and clothing were the same except for reverses in color. Genki sat on the bench watching him, the moonlight was pretty and made the park look very pleasant. Normally their mother did not allow them out at night but since the park was so close. Of course close or not, she no longer let him outside without Senki, even during day time. Not that he could wander far from home anymore anyway....just walking to the park was pretty hard for him now. Senki zipped in front of him with a concerned smile.  
  
"Are you rested?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Senki sat down next to him, sighed softly. "Genki...I know you don't think I'll believe you, but I would really like to know what happened to you. I never believed the memory loss story that you've fed mom and dad...."  
  
"It's hard for me to talk about it."  
  
"Even to me? We'd always tell each other everything."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You promised no secrets so please...."  
  
Genki turned to his brother Senki with a soft smile, seeing that his twin was on the verge of crying. He shook his head softly.  
  
"Don't worry Senki. I'll tell you someday, it's just so hard for me right now...."  
  
"I understand. Genki.....?"  
  
"Promise me something."  
  
"What?"  
  
Senki held out his finger in a pinkie swear. "Promise that we'll always be together. That you wont ever forget about me."  
  
"I promise." Genki smiled hooking his pinkie around his twin's. Before their hands could part there was a huge flash of light and the two boys pulled back startled as a colorful portal appeared in front of them.  
  
"That's!" Genki gasped recognizing it as the portal to the monster world.  
  
"Genki!" Senki cried latching onto him tightly as the portal began to pull them inside of it.  
  
"Senki!" Genki held his brother tightly as they were sucked into the portal. 


	2. Into a dark place

Chapter 2; Into a dark place  
  
Genki was the first to wake up. He looked around himself groggily, seeing that he was in a pitch black cell, all alone. It was a small leaky space that was very cold. He shivered, the room was empty except of course for a small but filthy toilet and sink. Was he in prison? He gasped realizing that something was amiss.  
  
"Senki! Where are you, Senki?"  
  
He stumbled around the dark cell until he came to the bars that separated him from the cell next to him. It was dark and he could barely see anything but he could feel his brother's presence in the cell next to him. He put his arm through the narrow bars and found his brother's form on the floor. He shook his leg, the only part of the others body that he could reach.  
  
"Senki, wake up, Senki!"  
  
The other boy stirred and sat up in confusion. After a few moments his twin turned to the bars to look at him, though the dark revealed only little bits of the other to each of them.  
  
"Genki, where are we?" He sounded afraid.  
  
"It looks like some kind of prison." Genki replied.  
  
"How do we get out? Who put us in hear?"  
  
"I don't know." was Genki's answer to both questions.  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Genki walked away from the bars, hearing his brother whine as he did so.  
  
"I can't see you anymore. Don't go too far..."  
  
"The cell is too small to go far even if I wanted to." Genki replied reaching around the north side of the cell till he found the lock. "Damn...if I only had something I could pick this with..."  
  
"Genki....?"  
  
"Senki, look around your cell for something that we could use to pick the lock."  
  
"All right..."  
  
They went to searching in the dark but found nothing, they were about to give up when foot steps sounded, coming towards them. There was a soft glow of a lantern accompanying them and the cells were let in a faint glow by it. The glow was enough to allow the twins to see each other, both noted with relief that the other was not hurt. The figure carrying the light was revealed, well, revealed was not quite the word, it was a tall figure wearing a cloak and a mask that hid it's entire body. The cloak was long and black, the mask covered the eyes and the head but not the mouth, the mouth appeared to be that of a young human man, silver hair escaped the metal mask in the back and fell down to his hips. Genki got a bad feeling looking at him, the same kind of feeling he got when he suspected somebody was a baddie in the days of the adventure. This guy had baddie written all over him.  
  
"Ah. So the little lost lambs are finally awake. You've both been sleeping for three days. You only have eleven days left before your thirteen birthdays, but that should still be more then enough time..." His voice was handsome and young but very cold.  
  
"What do you want!?" Genki demanded, trying to shield his brother from this man's view protectively, though he knew the action was altogether pointless.  
  
"In dew time, little Genki." The man opened his cell and stepped inside. Genki drew back, his brother reached through the bars of his cell and gripped Genki by the arm frightened. Genki stared up at the man whom now stood directly in front of him.  
  
"Come with me."  
  
"No!" Genki swatted the man's out stretched hand away with his own. "Don't come near me!"  
  
The man ignored his demand and plucked him from the ground and forced him to his feet. Senki lost his grip on his twin's hand and whimpered.  
  
"Genki! Leave him alone, you-!!"  
  
The man turned to Senki and nodded curtly as he held the squirming Genki in a tight grip. "You may call me Lord Deyarteb."  
  
"What kind of stupid name is that!?" Genki retorted, getting back handed for his comment.  
  
"Genki!" Senki exclaimed worried as he saw blood fly from his mouth and nose. He watched helplessly as his brother was drug away by Deyarteb. The eldest twin fell onto his knees crying softly as the area once again became pitch dark and he was left alone.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Genki felt dizzy, all the energy he had used struggling against Deyarteb, to no avail, had taken a toll on his strength. He was sure though, had he been sickly or not his struggling would of ended up having the same outcome. Deyarteb had led him to a room at the very bottom of whatever building they were in, and now he stared up at the biggest monster he had ever saw in his life. It was HUGE and looked like something that would come out of a nightmare...and to think, all what he could see of it was it's head. It had gray scaley skin and was shaped somewhat like a cross between a pig and a wolf, it's mouth was huge but fortunately closed, or else Genki was sure he'd be seeing teeth five times bigger then his whole body inside of the giant mouth. Underneath it was a blood stained alter made of silver. It was positioned right under the creatures mouth, giving Genki a very bad feeling. In the alter their was a circle indentation and a golden mirror back was put inside of it, however their was only a small part of the mirror sat inside of the golden frame. Also just below the monster on a wall were at least sixty glowing purple stones, they looked something like Holly's magic stone yet not quite, they were impure looking...they looked...evil, as though glowing with tainted energy, however he felt a strange pull towards them as though drawn to them.  
  
"Aren't they beautiful?" Deyarteb asked him as he noticed where he was looking.  
  
".............."  
  
"Giving me the silent treatment?" Deyarteb sounded amused before he pulled him roughly towards the alter, hitting his back against the hard silver, making him slid down the side of it weakly. "What a rude child you are."  
  
"What do you want with my brother and I!?" Genki demanded.  
  
"In dew time." The baddie stroked his cheek in a manner that made Genki feel sick. The man gestured towards the giant monster head.  
  
"That creature there has no name, or maybe it did but it was forbidden to speak of it, let us just call it, Slaughterer."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because once I wake it up, it will slaughter everyone."  
  
"Your sick!"  
  
"Am I?" Deyarteb asked with a gentle smile. "Oh no, I'm not sick. My mentality is perfect."  
  
"......"  
  
"You should be thanking me Genki, you wanted to come back hear for nearly three years now. Your grief at being separated from your friends and this world has weaken your heart and body to the extent that your heart has given up on life. Slowly these feelings of betrayal and grief is killing you, making you so weak that in a few years it'll take too much energy for you to even breath." "You have no idea about my feelings!"  
  
"I can see it all revealed in your eyes. Such immense sadness, such immense hate. You were used by your friends, used by this world, used by your brother..."  
  
"My friends and brother never used me!"  
  
"Selective memory." Deyarteb's voice softened as did his expression. "I know what it feels like to be betrayed."  
  
Genki felt himself being lifted to his feet, and sat down on the alter where he backed away from the man frightened, but the baddie seized his wrist before he could move away and pulled him close, Deyarteb held one of those shining purple stones in his hand, holding it close to his chest. He could feel it's hot, angry heat.  
  
"But together we can get what we want, revenge."  
  
"I don't want-" Genki's eyes grew wide, his voice cutting off as he felt a tremendous pain flow through every ounce of his body as the man shoved the stone hard against his chest. Pain. That was the only thing that registered into his mind. He released a small choked yelp and fell back against the altar away from the baddies grip but the pain continued, his could see dark purple energy crackling around him. The pained seared throughout every limb, it was agony. He felt like this dark energy was going to ignite his frail human matter, eagerly and explosively as if he were the driest kindling, a wax coated wick. He screamed at the agony of it, for it was beyond all comprehension. Before him and below him and beneath him, the pain burned. The heat of the energy washing over him from the bed room window was tremendous. His flesh was being seared on every inch of his body, each one of a million nerve endings singing it's own song of pain. It went on and on. He could do nothing but scream, he thought that at any moment his very bones would ignite. He closed his eyes nervously, afraid that they would bubble shut with their own juices. The pain. It kept continuing and he did not remember anything but the agony even as finally slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Senki was crying in his cell until he heard footsteps, he looked up hopefully, hoping to see Genki but instead he saw a boy around his own age looking back at him mournfully. The boy was tall, slender, pale skinned with short, thick black hair dressed all in white. He looked so sad...  
  
"Who are you?" He asked the strange boy, wandering close to the bars that separated him from him. The boy was silent, but with a gentle touch of his hand the lock on the door released and the cell door opened. Nervously Senki stepped out and re-asked his question.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The silent boy opened his hand to reveal a beautiful shining white stone, and before Senki could even blink the boy grabbed his hand with the same hand that held the stone. Senki gasped as a vision filled his eyes.  
  
FLASH  
  
Two twin boys were standing together before a giant monster and an alter. They made a pinkie promise. The image changed to show the two boys in the same room, except one was laying on the alter. The image changed again and all he could see was blood. A mirror in a golden plate smashed into five pieces, and there was a betrayed agonized scream. Lots of blood. One the of twins were laughing insanely, covered in blood.  
  
FLASH  
  
Senki fell back with a short cry as the vision ended to find himself alone. There was no trace of the silent boy. He felt an odd energy pulsing in his hand that the boy had gripped and when he looked down at it he saw to his surprise that the glowing white stone had been embedded into his flesh. It glowed only faintly now, with a warm soft light. He stared down at it puzzled before he closed his hand and looked down at the steps that Deyarteb had taken Genki down.  
  
"Genki, I'm coming." He whispered as he ran down the steps.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Senki came to a sudden halt as he came to the room with the giant monster and the alter. At first scan it was empty but then he spotted his brother's limp figure laying on top of the alter, directly below the head of the giant monster.  
  
"Genki!" He cried worriedly, rushing over to him. He rushed to his side, shaking him worriedly. "Wake up!"  
  
Genki stirred and opened his eyes painfully, his hand gripped his chest. "S..Senki? Where's Deyarteb?"  
  
"I don't know. What's wrong? What did he do to you?"  
  
"My chest...I think he put something inside of me." Genki managed to whimper out. "It hurts..."  
  
"Let me see." Senki pulled his brother's shirt up to inspect the wound with great concern, spotting a stone embedded into his brother's flesh, right where his heart was. It looked just like the stone embedded into his hand, except that it shimmered with a dark purple light. "There is this stone..."  
  
"A stone?" "Yes, I got one almost like it, in my hand." Senki showed him. "But it doesn't hurt."  
  
"Lucky."  
  
"Come on Genki, let's get out of hear." Senki pressed, helping his twin get off the alter. The older twin wished that he wasn't wearing skates, it made it hard climbing all those steps, so he removed the skates and carried them in his hand as helped his weakened brother walk towards the steps.  
  
Wait. The mirror.  
  
Senki gasped hearing a voice in his head and turned around to see the silent boy pointing towards the golden mirror back and the small piece of mirror held in it. The boy vanished almost as soon as he saw him but the words rang long in his head. He did not think Genki heard him, his brother was barely conscious. He sat the younger twin down as he headed towards the mirror, removing it from the alter, tucking it under his arm before scurrying back over to his brother and the two of them made their way up the steps. They passed the prison area together as well as a few more floors without any trouble but still without finding any means of escape. They pushed open the next door and stepped inside. It was some kind of air port terminal. There was small, old styled planes in the room, and there was a opening in the far wall for the planes to fly through. It was so dark out, and windy. It was freezing, but...if they could use one of these planes... Senki took a worried glance at his brother, seeing that he was barely conscious.  
  
"Genki hold on, we can use one of these planes."  
  
'They are called...iron birds hear..." Genki managed to say.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind." Genki tried to walk towards one of the nearby iron birds but almost collapsed. Senki approached him worriedly.  
  
"Genki, are you ok?"  
  
"I'm all right, I'm just tired..." Genki pushed himself to his feet and staggered over to one of the iron birds. "Come on Senki, lets get out of hear."  
  
"Yes, but, do you know how to drive this thing?"  
  
"Yes, I did before."  
  
"When?"  
  
"I'll tell you later, come on."  
  
Senki jumped into the iron bird behind his brother who took the wheel, he frowned with uncertainly. "Um...Genki, are you sure your up to this?"  
  
"I'm fine." Genki reassured but in truth he felt sicker then he had been in a long time. Still he was pretty sure that he would be able to in the very least fly the iron bird out of this place. He just had to get his illness under control after all-most of it was just physiological....wasn't it? Genki began to turn on the engine of the plane, checking the spirit capsule to see that it was plugged in properly and would not over heat. After making sure everything was ok he turned to Senki whom was looking pretty scared.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Not so fast."  
  
The twins jumped as a female voice halted them, and a Silhouette (Pixie/Monol) stepped out of the dark in front of them. She looked like any normal Silhouette except that on her arm was a marking that looked as though burnt into her flesh. It looked like a cross, except that it was black and white. The black part was horizontal while the white laid across it vertically, the white looked as though it was trying to smother the black.  
  
'Is this the symbol of these baddies?' Genki thought to himself, as the woman approached them.  
  
"You aren't going to get away." She smirked holding a hand out towards them. The twins cried out as she struck the plane with a lightening attack.  
  
"Genki!" Senki whom had not even the faintest clue of what was going on hung on to his brother tightly, tears were in his eyes as he squeezed them shut, afraid to open them.  
  
"Hang on Senki!" Genki told him as he started the iron bird and took it down the run way. The silhouette cursed and chased after them hurling lighting attacks which rocked the plane and made his brother cry out.  
  
"No escape!" The woman exclaimed and shot a lightening disk which missed the plane but hit it's intended target. Genki cried out painfully as it sliced the side of his neck, lucky it only hit the side, but it was still very bad. Senki's eyes widened as he felt something warm drip on him and he looked up to see his brother slouched over, bleeding from a very bad gash in the side of his neck.  
  
"Genki!" He screamed terrified by the sight of his twins blood. He saw the woman ready herself to strike them again and he turned around feeling angry and not really understanding what he was doing until he did it, he gestured towards her with his hand that had the stone embedded in it. The stone flared to life, and a single strike of energy came out of it striking the woman in the stomach, whom fell back against one of the other iron birds with a cry, falling quickly unconscious as their plane took off.  
  
"Genki!" Senki shook him, trying to wake him up. His younger twin brother did not wake, and before he knew it the iron bird was doing a tail spin downwards towards the ground. 


	3. Massacre

Sorry it took me awhile, I just got a new drop so I was really busy, but I've got a big update for you! So please enjoy!  
  
Chapter 3; Massacre  
  
10 Days Remaining.  
  
Senki opened his eyes, his head felt heavy and confusion settled in as he looked around himself not remembering entirely what had happened to him. He was setting on a bed in an old wooden room of a house. There was a dresser, and some flowers in a vase but not much else. It wasn't his room though, and slowly memories of what had happened returned.  
  
"So..it wasn't a dream..." He thought, before his eyes widened. "Genki! Where are you?"  
  
He looked around for his brother but did not see him in the room. Perhaps he had been put in a different room. He got up, grimacing as he felt a sharp pain in his leg. Looking down he saw that it had been wrapped in bandages which were stained with some blood. He probably hurt it when the plane, or as Genki called it, the iron bird, crashed. He walked over to the door and gripped the handle feeling greatly relived when he found it was not locked. He stepped in the hall and looked around himself. It was a small hall that had a opening in the wall that lead into the kitchen, and three other doors beside the one he came out of in the hallway. He frowned, he felt uneasy, frightened as if something bad was awaiting him. Was he picking up Genki's feelings? If so, what was wrong with him? Senki walked quietly, his sock feet felt cold on the floor. The wooden floor boards squeaked under his feet and echoed off the walls. He passed by the kitchen and glanced inside of it. He fell back against the wall with a short startled cry, staring at the mess that awaited him with large frightened eyes. The kitchen was covered in blood. Bloody hand prints and shoe prints covered the floor and walls, and there was countless splatters of the crimson substance else where. Nervously Senki looked down at the floor boards to find that they too had splats of blood on them. He felt sick to his stomach as he looked back into the kitchen, seeing a man's feet behind the table, laying with the toes pointed up. He could see traces of blood on the legs. Senki tried to suppress his fear as he continued down the hall way, he wanted to get the heck out of there but he had to find his brother first. He wandered down the hall to the very last door, the trail of blood seemed to originate from there. He shivered as his hand closed around the bloody knob. He had to push the door open with his shoulder, there was something in the way. When he got the door opened enough to step inside he saw that the body of an old, chunky woman had the object that had been pressed against the door. He screamed stumbling out of the room, wiping tears from his eyes as he stared at the woman's body. She looked like she had been sliced to pieces.  
  
"Who could of did this?" He whimpered. The room looked much like the room he had woke up in, except covered in blood. He saw something on the bed and despite his distaste at the blood and the dead woman he wandered inside. It was his brother's hat. "So Genki was in hear...is he ok?" Senki looked down to see the trail of bloody foot prints. They were the same size as his. "Did he make these?"  
  
He fallowed the foot steps feeling his heart beating in his chest. He went out through the kitchen and left through the front door. There was a strange thing outside that had blood surrounding it. Senki did not know what it was, a disk with roots around it, but the words 'lost disk' came into his mind. Was he reading these thoughts from Genki?  
  
He was on a rocky hill side, looking over a village. He shivered, it was night time and so cold. The wind blew strongly and almost made him loose his balance. The trail of blood continued down the hill.  
  
"Genki!" He called fallowing the trail at a quick pace. "Genki! Can you hear me? Please answer!"  
  
He was near the middle of the hill when something whizzed by his ear. He turned frightened to face the attacker and saw five gathered men, they were wounded and angry looking. Were they villagers? They were armed with knives, stones, an axe. They looked rather hostile.  
  
'Are these the ones who killed those people?' Senki wondered backing away from them slowly.  
  
"Get him! Don't let him live!" The man whom a threw the stone ordered.  
  
"Wait!" He cried out holding his hands out in front of him fearfully. The stone in his hand activated and struck the men, smashing them back towards some tress. He stared at them shaking. They weren't dead but unconscious. Not wanting to stick around for them to wake up he ran the rest of the way down the hill. When he reached the village he froze, he was standing in a blood bath. Bodies littered the ground, and blood drenched the soul. Senki screamed, burying his face in his hands.  
  
"A nightmare..." He sobbed. "It's just a nightmare...."  
  
"Senki! There you are!"  
  
"Eh?" He looked up frightened before smiling seeing Genki coming towards him. "Your ok!" Senki ran the rest of the way to him, hugging him. He felt something wet on his brothers clothes and pulled away, staring in horror at the blood which had came off of him and onto his hands.  
  
"What happened?" He asked breathless.  
  
"I woke up in a room and this person all in white with short black hair and pale skin was standing over Lily covered in blood—laughing. I pushed past him. I tried to get to you, but he was chasing me and I tried to lead him away from you so, I ran outside. He killed Matthew and the Spot Dino. I lead him down to the village, hoping to find someone there who would help, but when I got down hear, they were all dead....I hid in one of the buildings until that boy lost sight of me. I was heading back up to the hill to get you."  
  
"I was so worried you were hurt. How do you know those people Genki?"  
  
"I...."  
  
"Don't let them get away!"  
  
The twins turned towards the shout to see the five men that had confronted Senki. Genki growled at them, pushing his brother protectively behind him.  
  
"Go away!"  
  
Senki yelped as the stone embedded in Genki's chest activated and a great purple energy smashed into the men, throwing them across the ground, bleeding and injured. They laid in twisted positions, writing in pain and agony. Senki stared at them a little numbly—he could not believe that his brother had just...just done that.  
  
"Come on." Genki took his brothers hand as he grabbed a wagon with some horses that had not been harmed during the massacre and they sped off away from the bloody village. 


	4. Dead city

Chapter four; The Dead City  
  
Nine days remaining.  
  
Senki woke up as the wagon came to the halt. He saw his brother hop down and begin washing the blood away from his clothing. He pushed himself up tiredly and turned to his brother whom turned towards him with a forced smile.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"Genki is all this real?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What is happening? Where are we?"  
  
"I'll tell you. You wanted to know where I vanished to that time, well it was hear."  
  
"I had a feeling that you'd say that."  
  
"The people in the house back there, they were people I met last time I came hear. They were kindly. I'm sad about what happened to them...I have no idea who the person whom killed them and the villagers is."  
  
"From how you described him, he sounds like the one whom put the stone in my hand."  
  
"....Hm. I wonder if he is one of Deyarteb's followers."  
  
"So, tell me the rest. How did you get hear, and what happened while you were hear?"  
  
"I think I was sucked into that game I won. I was unlocked from a disk by a girl named Holly and a monster named Suzo. We were attacked by baddies and when we got away they told me about this baddie named Moo. He was very bad, he would enslave monsters and destroy homes. Holly herself had her village destroyed. They were journeying to find a monster called the Phoenix, who could revive lost disks, that's dead monsters, and turn baddies into goodies. I unlocked Mocchi that same night and he was one of my very best friends while I was hear. We met up with other friends during our journey. Tiger, Hare, Golem, Pixie, big blue. We had fun together..."  
  
"Where are they now?"  
  
Genki sighed. "We discovered on our journey that the Phoenix's soul was split into five, and those five monsters were my very best friends. They had to be combined into one to reawaken the Phoenix—that action would wipe them from existence...it would be the equivalent of killing them...."  
  
"....."  
  
"I was the one whom killed them, with my own two hands. I had to combine them. It was so hard..."  
  
"I'm sorry...."  
  
"The Phoenix then attacked Moo, whom was possessing the father of my friend Holly. Both died, and as soon as the battle was over and I was thrown back home....as soon as I was no longer needed." Genki hit his fist in the water. "I was just thrown out when I became useless."  
  
"That is why you were so sad..."  
  
"I was afraid to trust anyone ever again, not after this whole world used me. I have nightmares every night of that day when my...friends died...my fault, I..." Genki shook his head. "It's haunting."  
  
"Genki." Senki hopped down from the wagon. "I'm glad you told me, but even if you told me then, I would of believed you."  
  
"I just wanted to forget about all of it." Genki looked away into the water depressed.  
  
"........"  
  
"Was I brought hear only to be used again? I'm sorry to get you involved in this Senki..."  
  
"It's ok." Senki stepped on the forest path, yelping as he stepped on a thistle with his bare feet. Genki glanced over at him and began to dig around in the wagon, pulling a pair of brown boots from out of the hay.  
  
"Hear. I found these in the wagon last night while you were sleeping. They should fit."  
  
"Thanks." Senki pulled them on. "There a little big, but better then walking everywhere bare foot or with roller blades."  
  
"Hm. When I came hear, I only had roller blades too. As soon as I got to the top of the hill, I'd roll back down."  
  
Senki giggled. "That must of been annoying."  
  
"It was."  
  
"Say, Genki. Now that you've talked about it, do you think that you'll get better?"  
  
Genki sighed sadly, setting back down next tot he water. "I don't think I'll ever get better. I wish I could have my old energy back again, my old personality but the wounds on my heart...I know it's all in my head but it makes my body feel so weak and sick."  
  
"Crippling depression." Senki sat down beside him. "What do you think we should do?"  
  
"........" Genki eyes glistened with an unknown expression. "Let's gather the rest of the mirror."  
  
"The mirror? Oh, the mirror!" Senki realized. "I think we left it back at that house...."  
  
"No, I've got it. It's in the wagon."  
  
"The wagon?" Senki cocked an eye brow. "But how....?"  
  
"It was in the room with me when that boy attacked. I shield myself with it from his attack. I stashed it in this wagon so he wouldn't find it, because I had the feeling it was something important."  
  
"Oh. Where should we go to find the rest of the mirror?"  
  
"I don't know." Genki picked the golden plate out of the hay in the wagon looking into the small piece of mirror that was still in it. "It's pretty."  
  
"It is." Senki fallowed Genki with his eyes as his brother sat back down beside him. He glanced over the mirror. There were scars in the plate, the mirror must of been smashed with tremendous force. "There are four scars in the plate—I bet the mirror piece inside is covering the fifth one."  
  
"So, you think that there are four more pieces?"  
  
"Yes." Senki nodded. "Maybe we should ask around about it?"  
  
"We'll ask at the next village."  
  
"Say Genki..." Senki looked down at the stone in his hand. "These stones has strange powers."  
  
"Holly had a stone that looked kind of like these however it did not go inside of her skin, and her's was green."  
  
"Did it have powers like ours?"  
  
"No. It found disks, it did not attack people."  
  
"I don't want the power to hurt people." Senki frowned looking down at his hand. "Why do we have these?"  
  
"I don't know why, but your luckier then me." "Why?"  
  
"Mine hurts like hell."  
  
"Let me see, maybe it's infected or something."  
  
Genki pulled up his shirt, touching the glowing purple stone embedded inside of his chest, grimacing. "It hurts a lot."  
  
Senki reached his hand up to touch it, but the jewel in his hand made a magnetic sort of resistence and he couldn't. "Strange...."  
  
"I'll say." Genki covered the jewel with his shirt. "We got away from Deyarteb rather easily."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I was thinking, Deyarteb seemed very powerful. I find it strange that we could of gotten away."  
  
"Do you think he let us escape?"  
  
"Yeah. He did mention our thirteenth birthday."  
  
"It's in nine days from now."  
  
"Well, I guess we'll know in nine days." Genki cupped his chin thoughtfully. "The strange thing though is how we got to that village. The plane crashed almost as soon as we left the terminal—but yet that village is a long distance away from Deyarteb's tower...I wonder if he brought us there for some reason."  
  
"D–do you think it had something to do with the massacre?"  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
Senki whimpered and held onto his brother's arm. "I scared Genki. I want to go home."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll get home somehow." Genki stroked his brother's hair soothingly, trying to comfort him, but inside his head he could not help but bitterly think. 'Oh yes, we'll find a way home, I'm sure this world will throw us out when it doesn't need us anymore....'  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Holly froze as she entered a village covered in blood. She stood staring at the sean in horror. "Oh my god..."  
  
"Terrible." Holly turned to look at Tiger whom had spoken in disgust seeing the sight on the village. Tiger, Hare, Moochi, Golem and Suzo had been revived after the battle. They had all been turned back into mystery disks and fallowing their voices Holly had unlocked all of them. It had taken her nearly a year and a half but she had almost all of her friends back. Almost all. She had not seen or heard anything from Genki since he fell off that dragon. Perhaps he died, but she had searched and searched and could not find any trace of him. It saddened her to know that she would never have all her friends back, he had been one of the most important parts of the team... Almost three years and the pain never became less. Holly had grown up to be a rather pretty woman of nineteen years old. She still wore her hair in the same style except down it was a little longer. She wore a white blouse underneath her same brown vest. She wore a red skirt that went below the knee, a pair of gray stockings which covered her legs and her same brown boots. She still had her father's dagger with her, and somehow not too long ago she had awoken to find the magic stone around her neck. That was when this new adventure had started.  
  
"Mocchi scared chi!" The little pink monster whimpered clutching her leg as it stared at the corpses and the blood.  
  
"Man, these baddies are more ruthless then Moo's bunch." Said Hare queasily.  
  
"Let's get out of hear! It's too creepy!" Suzo pleaded, trying to hop away but tripped over one of the dead bodies. He leap onto Golem's shoulder with a scream. The gentle stone giant stared down at the massacre with sad eyes.  
  
"Death is a waste of life..."  
  
"Deyarteb is more evil then Moo ever was." Holly sighed, closing her eyes as she offered a small prayer for the people whom laid before them slaughtered. "That is why we must continue to gather pieces of the mirror to defeat him."  
  
"But we've been traveling for months and we've only got one." Hare moaned pitifully. "These baddies are so much stronger then Moo's army..."  
  
"We can't give up." Holly pulled the small piece of mirror she had been able to find from out of her pocket. "The magic stones says there is one really close by."  
  
"It's not in this place, is it?" Suzo asked nervously. He did not want to stay any longer then needed in this slaughter house.  
  
"No. I'm thinking that it might be in the next village."  
  
"Thank god!"  
  
"Hm. This killing..." Tiger frowned thoughtfully. "It doesn't look like the usual slaughtering that Deyarteb's followers commit. This seems much more brutal."  
  
"That your right."  
  
The group turned towards the voice to see one of the men whom had attacked Genki and Senki. "It wasn't your usual Deyarteb follower whom did this."  
  
Unlike Moo, Deyarteb only had five followers, however these five baddies were more stronger then a whole army of Moo baddies. They were all Pixie sub monsters, which gave them a hint about Deyarteb's possible pervert personality. There was an Allure (Pixie/Naga), a monster that could suck the life force out of men. Her name was Shigeko, she was the most easy going and refined of the five pixie baddies whom served Deyarteb. Her vanity and materialistic personality often distracted her from battle, making her the weakest of them, however the group still had a pretty hard time fighting her when it came to acquiring the first mirror piece. They had just barely won and she had gotten away alive. Every village she had destroyed she had first stole clothing, and jewelry from. Her main weakness seemed to be procrastination, and she often suffered from a lack of ambition when it came to fighting. Her other major weakness was cute boys whom she took great desire in draining the life force from. She became so distracted with them that she would leave herself open to attack—that was how they defeated her, when she had attacked Alan. Currently, Alan, Colt and Pixie had split from their team to stay back in the last village and help some of the injured. They had wanted to stay and help take care of the wounded with them, but Pixie insisted they continue and get the mirror. They had agreed to meet up in the next village, but this was not quite the best meeting spot.... The next baddie on Deyarteb's side was a Futurity ( Pixie/Metalner) named Norika. She was very smart and was always seen with old ancient technology. There was a Silhouette that had an incredibly bad temper, her name was Lain. There was a Mia (Pixie/???), whom acted super cute and childish but she was the most blood thirsty and psychotic one them. Her name was Mio. The last one was an Mint (Pixie/Tiger) whom was shy and quite-like, but a killer like all the rest of them. Her name was Mayu. "Who was it?" Holly asked looking at his wounds worriedly.  
  
The man sighed. "It was a little boy whom killed everyone hear. He was laughing in the sea of blood. He escaped us and then—we saw two children whom were most likely his accomplices."  
  
"Woah!" Hare exclaimed. "Back up! Did you say children!?"  
  
Tiger looked around himself at the slaughtered people and the blood that covered everything. "Are you saying that little children are reasonable for this massacre? Unbelievable..."  
  
"Yes, I know." The man sighed. "I find it hard to believe myself. The first boy was transparent, we could not see him good, but he did not seem to be by himself. We saw another boy with him. Later on we thought we saw that same boy walking towards the village, we attacked him but before we could wound him he used the power of a stone that was in his hand to throw us back. It did not harm us much, I think he was just trying to escape."  
  
"What happened to him, chi?"  
  
"Well, we fallowed him back to the village to see him with the boy whom was with the killer. They looked exactly alike the two of them."  
  
"Twins?" Golem asked.  
  
"Yeah. Identical." The man then shuddered. "The one with the killer attacked my friends and I. The only five surviving members of this whole village. He attacked with a stone as well, but it wasn't in his hand. It was in his heart. Unlike his brother he hurt us bad. Two of us died of our injuries. The two of them escaped with a wagon and two horses. We did not see what happened to the transparent boy. "  
  
Holly felt sick putting a hand to her forehead feeling dizzy. "So...Deyarteb is using children to do his killing? How horrendous..."  
  
"You should be going." The man began. "The smell of blood is not good for the young lady."  
  
"No. I'm ok." Holly composed herself, these images reminded her of her own village after Moo had attacked it. "Please allow us to help you burry the dead. It's the least we can do for you now." 


	5. Meeting

Chapter Five; Meeting  
  
Genki smiled at Senki whom was humming a song as he skated along beside the wagon that he drove. He wished that he had his old energy back again so he could join him, but with his sickness skating for as little as five minutes would take too much energy. Genki glanced over at the horses which trudged slowly along. He had to wash some blood stains off of them this morning, before Senki noticed and freaked out. He was glad to see though that the horrific events of last night did not take as big a toll on his twin's mind as he thought it would. Senki was always so very sensitive. It was strange seeing him in the monster world, being hear with him. Senki had been the only thing he had missed about his home world, if he had been hear back then, then it would of been perfect hear. But now, now even with Senki hear he had no desire to stay in the monster world. The world that had used him.  
  
"Hey Genki, I'm kinda hungry. Do you think we can get something to eat when we come to a village?" Senki smiled, rubbing his flat belly.  
  
"Hm. We don't have any gold, that's money hear, we might be able to put up a good enough pity case though and get something for free."  
  
"Or we can offer to do some work to get some money."  
  
"I don't think we'll have time for a job." Genki turned back to the road, using his hand to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun. "We have to gather the mirror pieces."  
  
"Hm, what will we do with them when they are all gathered?" Senki asked as he skated along.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Maybe we should find away back home instead. You do want to go back home, right?"  
  
"Right. I don't want to stay hear."  
  
Senki frowned at the sudden bitterness in his brother's voice. "I don't mind staying hear if you want to. As long as we're together...."  
  
"We will be together, but not in this world. We'll find away home together as soon as we can. Don't worry." An angry look dawned Genki's expression. "I'm sure this world will get rid of us when we're not needed anymore."  
  
"Genki...." Senki whispered, the angry expression on his twin's face made him uncomfortable. Genki must of sensed his discomfort and apologized.  
  
"I'm sorry, I did not mean to upset you Sen-chan." "It's ok, Gen-chan." Senki smiled up at his younger twin. "Do you think the next village will be more friendlier then the last one? Those men were mean..."  
  
"Hm." Genki shrugged. "We took care of them. Still, I hope that we do not run across another massacre."  
  
"Me too. I'm going to have nightmares about that."  
  
"Hm."  
  
"Do you think we'll run into anybody you know?"  
  
"I hope not." Genki whispered with a deep bitterness.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"..........." 'Genki.....' **************************************************************************** **  
  
"Ah." Colt drew back, her eyes wide as Alan, Pixie and her arrived in the village to see the blood coating everything. Holly and her friends had gotten half of the villagers buried by now. Pixie still looked the same as she did after she had combined with Big Blue. Colt had grown up rather pretty, but had a tom boyish air to her. Her hair went down to her shoulders and her bangs was pushed back by a pink hat. She wore a dusty pink skirt that went far above the knees, a long sleeved white shirt with a pink tank top over it. She wore white stockings and brown work boots along with a pair of brown work gloves. Alan had grown handsome, tall and muscular. His blue hair went straight past his shoulders, and he wore a silver loop piecing on one ear. He wore a pair of form fitting black pants, a red tunic with a yellow belt. His worms, like Colt's bird had been killed by Deyarteb's baddies. He was on a mission of revenge while Colt was on one of discovery–wanting to find out about the mirror which was written about on some old ancient scrolls that the girl found in some old ghost town and had yet to fully translate.  
  
"Such a gruesome slaughter..." Alan breathed.  
  
"My god, what happened hear?" Pixie questioned (Despite her combining, she refused to be called Granity)  
  
Holly got up, dusting some dirt off of her clothing. The whole ordeal was hard on her spirits, it reminded her so much of when she had to burry the people of her own village. "A massacre."  
  
"Was it done by Deyarteb's baddies?" "Three children." Holly told grievingly. "The survivors says that three children no older then thirteen years old were behind the killings."  
  
"Kids!?" Colt squawked. "Kids did this!?"  
  
"Were you hear when it happened?" Alan asked Holly, looking concerned.  
  
"No. I am sad that we were not hear to help, but at the same time I am glad that I did not bare witness to such a slaughter."  
  
"Holly." Alan embraced her. "It's ok if you want to cry."  
  
Holy gave in a little to her tears but refused to cry as much as she wanted to. She had better things to do then cry. She removed herself after a few moments from Alan's gentle hold and smile at him weakly.  
  
"Alan, can you please help us finish burring them?"  
  
"Of course." He caressed her face, wiping away on of her tears. "Your very brave Holly."  
  
"I have to be. We're the only ones whom can stop Deyarteb. Everyone is depending on us. It hurts me to know that we failed them." Holly mournfully glanced at all the buried and yet to be buried. "But as the heros whom defeated Moo, we will avenged their deaths."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Wow, they look just like the monsters from that game of yours." Senki looked around in awe as he sat in the back of the wagon peering shyly out at all the different kinds of monsters when they arrived in the village. It was the village where they had first met Hare, Genki glanced over the monster arena. He was sure his brother would get a kick of seeing a battle, it was just too bad that they had no monsters with them so they could not win any prize money. They were both staving.  
  
"Try not to say game so loudly." Genki whispered to him. "You'll get weird looks."  
  
"Oh...sorry."  
  
Genki halted the horses and carefully got out of the wagon, his weak limbs made it difficult since steering the horses and driving all night long had made him very tired. The nagging hunger was not helping much either.  
  
"We need to get something to eat." He concluded. "Hopefully we'll find someone who is feeling charitable. If not...we can sell the horses and wagon."  
  
"Hey." Senki frowned. "Genki, you need that. Your not strong enough to walk...."  
  
"I know. But we'll both suffer if we stay hungry."  
  
"Your not sacrificing yourself for me. You've done that far too much for me in the past."  
  
Genki met his brother's serous gaze. "........."  
  
"We'll find food even if we have to steal it. I'm not going to have you leave me..."  
  
Genki smiled and gave his twin a hug. "Don't worry. I wont leave you."  
  
"Gen-chan...."  
  
"Let's try and find something to eat, ok, Sen-chan?"  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Deyarteb's five Pixie baddies were in their room, that was near the top of his tower which towered over a forgotten village. They were setting in the room chatting away, but were mostly teasing the Silhouette, Lain about losing sight of the twins.  
  
"Dammit, shut up!" Lain snarled at them. "That brat's blast really hurt, give me a break!"  
  
"I think he already gave you one!" the mia, Mio giggled as she pointed to the bandaged around Lain's abdomen, where she had received a few broken ribs.  
  
"F.U.C.K. Y.O.U."  
  
"Now, now." The futurity, Norika tsked looking up from her hand computer. "There is no need for profanity Lain."  
  
The allure Shigeko laughed, pausing in putting on a pair of ear rings she had swiped from the corpse of a woman from the last slaughter she had participated in. "You could not stop two injured little boys! How sad!"  
  
"Well." Lain began angrily. "At least I did not get defeated by the girl and her friends because I was having too much fun molesting that blue haired jerk, unlike a certain other girl in this room."  
  
Shigeko blushed. "But he was so handsome!"  
  
The mint, Mayu shuffled her feet on the floor. "Lord Deyarteb is acting weird lately. I wonder why he ordered us not to kill the twins..."  
  
"Dunno."Mio shrugged. "Don't really care. As long as we get to do a little slicing and dicing, I'm happy." "I wonder what the mirror is for?" Norika wondered. "It's suppose to be the only thing that can destroy the lord, I don't see why he wants us to gather the pieces when all we need to do is destroy one piece of it to render it harmless."  
  
"He wants it whole." Shigeko fell back on some cushions. "It *is* rather pretty."  
  
"I'm board." Mio whined. "I want to go out and kill something!"  
  
"The lord did not order any slaughters."  
  
"It's been three days!!" The mia whimpered. "My hands ache with blood lust! The lord is such a meanie to deny me my fun!!"  
  
"I like the quite days." Mayu whispered. "I hate the smell of blood."  
  
"Are you joking!?" Mio gave her a shocked look. "The smell of blood is the best! They should make a perfume that smelt like it! I'd swipe that in a heart beat!"  
  
"Oh, here we go again." Norika sighed. "Mio's psychopathic rant of the day."  
  
The young cute girl began to bounce around the room excitedly as she spoke. "The smell of blood is what makes a battle field what it is. Death without blood is like a Sunday without a cherry, or a lemon pie without the meringue!"  
  
"Someone has got to get me some pretty ear plugs for when she goes into these rants." Shigeko covered her ears annoyed.  
  
"The smell of blood is needed! A necessity! A kill would not be a kill without it! A death would not be a death! To spill blood is to spill the essence of a person's life! To see that crimson liquid slowly spill out of their cooling bodies that is one of the greatest pleasures in killing...no! One of the greatest pleasures in life!"  
  
"Blah, blah, blah. Can someone shut her up?" Lain asked exasperatingly.  
  
"Stopping Mio in the middle of one of her rants is a death wish." Mayu sighed.  
  
"So, as I'm saying, if a person does not bleed when they die then...the death is meaningless. There is no pleasure to be found in it....and furthermore...."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Lord Deyarteb." An Angel whispered as she listened to the group of Pixie's talk. "Why do you keep those useless girls around, anyway?"  
  
Deyarteb chuckled. "Their good dupes for the time being." "But what good are they? All they can do is kill people and you already have a plan for that, my lord."  
  
"You'll see in dew time, my dear Tailm."  
  
"I'm sure I will, my lord." The angel laughed as she gleefully hugged him. "Tell me, why did you let the twins go?"  
  
"I need them in the outside world. Don't worry. It'll be an easy task to get them back. They are playing right into the palm of my hand."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Senki took a worried glance at his brother as he stumbled for the tenth time. He looked ready to pass out at any moment. No one helped them. Some people gave them weird looks, some people walked away from them, but not one looked to give them a helping hand.  
  
"Genki, hang on. I'm sure someone will give us something to eat..."  
  
His brother laughed bitterly. "I doubt it...cruel people....for a cruel world...."  
  
"Gen-chan...." Senki whispered but got no response. His eyes widened worriedly. "Gen-chan! Gen-chan!"  
  
He shook his brother trying to wake him up as the younger twin fell onto his knees in a faint. Panicked he drug him back to the wagon and laid him in the hay gently. "Don't worry, I'll be right back with some food for us!"  
  
Genki did not answer and worriedly Senki scurried off, trying to find something. He'd steal the food if he had to.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Ah, doesn't this place bring back memories." Hare smiled as they arrived in the village where he had first met the group, trying to lighten the mood from that mornings burial.  
  
"This is where your swindled us." Tiger recalled.  
  
"Aw, come on, I changed since then!"  
  
"Yeah right. Your still a money grubbing fur ball."  
  
"Well your still a—"  
  
"Enough!" Holly scowled. "I'm not in the mood for this." "That's right!" Colt piped up. "We've had a hard morning!"  
  
"Sorry..." Hare apologized while Tiger just grunted.  
  
"These villagers seem upset." Pixie observed.  
  
"What's wrong chi?"  
  
"I don't know." Alan frowned. "We did see wagon tracks on the way hear. Do you think....?"  
  
Suzo shuddered. "I don't even want to think about running into the demented kids who did that."  
  
"It hard to believe that children did such a thing." Golem spoke up.  
  
"Well according to those villagers, children did do such a thing, and all the graves in the village is proof of it."  
  
Holly shivered as Alan spoke, at the memory of all the blood and death. No one had been spared not even the children. Her eyes widened as she felt the magic stone grow hot against her skin.  
  
"Holly what's wrong?" Alan asked as he caught the look on her face.  
  
"The stone..." She pulled it out. "It's glowing."  
  
"Could it be reacting to a mirror piece?" Pixie asked, but Holly shook her head.  
  
"No. I do sense there is a mirror piece hear but...there is something different about the energy from the stone. I don't think it glowing because of the mirror. It's a negative glow...responding to a negative energy."  
  
"Oh!" Colt shivered. "Scary!"  
  
"It's getting stronger with each step we take into the village...."  
  
"Then let's fallow it source." Alan lead them deeper into the village, the glow of the magic stone got brighter with each step. They stepped through a narrow ally into the plaza where lots of merchants were selling food and other goods.  
  
"It somewhere close to hear." Holly whispered. "Down a little more to the north."  
  
The group began to fallow her when Mocchi halted in his steps as he spotted a figure out of the corner of his eye. He stopped in his steps and turned to look at the figure, his eyes widening in shock. "Chi!!"  
  
The group turned towards the little monster at it's startled cry. "What is it Mocchi?" Golem asked.  
  
"Chi! It's...!"  
  
The group turned towards where Mocchi was pointing, all having different reactions. Pixie's eyes widened.  
  
"What is he doing hear?"  
  
"Is it really him?" Colt asked, looking confused.  
  
"Could it be...?" Alan began with uncertainty.  
  
"How can he be hear?" Golem wondered.  
  
"Unbelievable!" Hare exclaimed.  
  
"Woah, of all things I was expecting this was at the bottom of my list." Suzo gaped.  
  
"I thought that he..." Tiger trailed off. "He's alive...he's really alive..."  
  
Holly did not know what to think, she just stared ahead of herself feeling tears well up in her eyes as a smile spread across her face. "Genki...your hear, your really hear..."  
  
They watched in shocked silence as whom they thought was Genki strolled around a merchants stand causally. It was however Senki, but they didn't know that. They watched as their 'friend' paused in front of a stand selling fruit, and stood there waiting. As the merchant turned to help a woman they saw him snatch something quickly from the stand and stash it away in his pocket, they watched as he wondered over to at least two other stands and repeated the process.  
  
"I see that 'someone' must of thought him some bad habits last time he was hear." Tiger glanced over in Hare's direction.  
  
"Hey, don't point the finger at me!" Hare defended. "*You* were the thief Tiger!"  
  
"I did not teach Genki to steal!"  
  
"Well I didn't!"  
  
"Yeah right you didn't...!"  
  
"Guys!" Holly hushed hem.  
  
"You!"  
  
A merchant's scream quieted them quicker then Holly's request. They turned back to their friend to see that the one whom they thought was Genki had been caught and was backing away from the merchant's stand nervously.  
  
"Drop it you little scoundrel!" The merchant, a middle aged man with a belly the displayed an extreme delight for fried chicken and beer jumped towards him brandishing a knife threateningly.  
  
Senki gasped frightened. "Stay away!"  
  
Holly and the other gasped as Senki held his hand up in front of his face as though to protect himself, there was a white blast of light the threw the man back into his stand. Senki stared at the man confused not aware that he had attacked. He hadn't meant to... All the villagers were staring at him fearfully and he gulped.  
  
"Um...oops? Involuntary action....sorry?"  
  
Some villagers began to stalk towards him threateningly. Senki blanched and bowed his head mannerly.  
  
"Um, sorry, gotta go!"  
  
Holly and the others watched as whom they thought had been Genki dashed off away from the angry villagers.  
  
"What was that?' Tiger wondered aloud.  
  
"That power was...amazing." Pixie whispered.  
  
'Genki...?' Holly looked confused.' How did he do that? What was he doing hear?' "Come on." She turned to her friends. "Let's go after him!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
**************************************************************************** ** Senki dashed into an ally, out of breath. He had to find a way back to the wagon and his brother before the villagers got him. Man, as if they couldn't understand two starving children needing food. He leaned against the dark wall of the ally trying to hide himself from the view of passing villagers. He waited till he thought they were gone and began to come out of the ally to go over to his brother when he heard Hare's laughing voice behind him.  
  
"Hey kid, the first rule of stealing is not to get caught!"  
  
"AH!" Senki leapt startled and twisted around to see two human girls, a rabbit like monster, a wolf like monster, a pink monster with a duck bill, a giant made of stone, a woman with wings, a human man, and a eye ball. He stared at them not knowing whom or what they are (remember Senki is not use to monsters quite yet)  
  
"Your really hear." Holly stepped towards him with a gentle smile.  
  
"What happened back there?" Tiger asked, referring to the attack they saw him do on the merchant.  
  
"Chi!" Mocchi rushed forward happily. "Mocchi glad your back chi!"  
  
Senki blinked looking confused. "Ah...who are you?"  
  
Holly and the others exchanged shocked looks.  
  
"What? Are you saying you don't remember us!?" Hare exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"Wow, don't you have a great memory span." Suzo glared at him insulted.  
  
"Are you trying to say that you forgot about us?" Pixie frowned at him.  
  
"I never met you before...." Senki stared back at them a little nervously. "Who are you guys?"  
  
"Are you serious?" Tiger growled a little, making the poor confused boy scared. "You don't really expect us to believe that you forgot us? Stop playing around."  
  
"I really don't know...wait." Senki paused for a moment thoughtfully as his eyes grew wide in realization. "Oh, you must got me mixed up with my brother...."  
  
"Your brother?" Alan repeated surprised. Mocchi whimpered.  
  
"Your not Genki, chi?"  
  
"No, I'm Senki."  
  
"Senki." Holly repeated not being able to hide the disappointment on her face. "Oh...so your not him..."  
  
"Oh don't worry." Senki caught their sad looks. "Genki is here. I was trying to get back to him before those villagers found him and mistook him for me."  
  
Holly and the others became cheerful again.  
  
"Genki's alive chi!?"  
  
"Yeah." Senki looked confused. "You thought he was dead?" "He fell off of a dragon in the final battle." Pixie exclaimed. "We thought he was crushed."  
  
"He must of fell back into his own world." Tiger realized.  
  
"How is he doing?" Suzo asked, Senki paused for a moment, Genki probably would not like him talking about his illness, so he lied. "He's fine. Can you tell me who you are?"  
  
"I'm Holly."  
  
"Suzo."  
  
"Mocchi, chi!"  
  
"Tiger."  
  
"Hare."  
  
"Golem."  
  
"Pixie."  
  
"Alan."  
  
"I'm Colt!" The energetic girl cuddled up to him with a wink. "Your cute!"  
  
"Ah, thanks..." He blushed, before looking over at Tiger and the others. "Genki told me you died..."  
  
"Is that what the kid thought?" Hare frowned.  
  
"We were revived after the final battle." Tiger explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So, where is Genki anyway?" Alan asked glancing around himself.  
  
"Did he leave you wondering around town by yourself?" Colt wondered.  
  
"Oh no. He's back at the wagon, he's not feeling too well...."  
  
'A wagon.' Holly thought with an uneasiness, but shoved the thought from her mind. There was no way that it was them. Sure they were around thirteen and were twins...but...it couldn't be. She knew beyond doubt that Genki would never commit such atrocities.  
  
"Senki can you take us to him?"  
  
"Um...sure."  
  
Senki lead the group towards the wagon, seeing Senki with the heros whom defeated Moo made them halt in their assault. Holly stared down at the magic stone in confusion, it was glowing red hot. The negative energy was getting stronger.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" Senki suddenly cried out, running over to the wagon. "He's not hear!"  
  
"What?" The monster ran over to the wagon alarmed.  
  
"Genki's not here..."  
  
"Maybe he wandered off looking for you?" Hare suggested but Senki shook his head.  
  
"No, he's not strong enough to go wandering around..."  
  
"Huh?" Holly blinked as the magic stone began to glow differently indicating a piece of the mirror near by.  
  
"A piece of the mirror?" Alan asked seeing her look down at the stone. She nodded.  
  
"It's really close..."  
  
"Mirror?" Senki overheard them. "Are you looking for this?"  
  
They watched as he rummaged around the hay, pulling out the piece of mirror he had on the gold backing. The group gasped surprised.  
  
"Wow! You have a piece of the mirror and it's power plate!" Colt exclaimed. "How did you get it?"  
  
"Deyarteb had the power plate..." Pixie began.  
  
"Genki and I swiped it when we escaped from him." Senki explained but seemed distracted as he looked around himself, looking lost. "Where'd Genki go...? I'm going to go and find him..."  
  
"Hold on." Tiger started, rather harshly. "The hay in your wagon...it has the scent of blood lingering on it..."  
  
"Not surprising..." Senki whispered softly, shuddering. "With that massacre..."  
  
"Massacre? Are you referring too....?"  
  
"The village back there." Senki quietly finished Holly's sentence. "I woke up there after the iron bird we used to escape crashed...everyone was slaughtered. I went down into the village to find my brother, he was chased down there by this boy dressed in white. The boy in white did all the killing, we were lucky to get away. Some men attacked us...maybe they thought we had something to do with it..."  
  
"Oh, that must of been scary!" Colt whimpered.  
  
"Senki, can you hold out your hand?" Alan demanded, it was not a request.  
  
"Oh, ok..." Senki obeyed a little hesitantly. The group blanched as they saw the stone embedded in his hand.  
  
"You were the twin children that the villagers were talking about?" Pixie looked surprised.  
  
FLASH BACK  
  
"It was a little boy whom killed everyone hear. He was laughing in the sea of blood. He escaped us and then—we saw two children whom were most likely his accomplices."  
  
"Woah!" Hare exclaimed. "Back up! Did you say children!?"  
  
Tiger looked around himself at the slaughtered people and the blood the covered everything. "Are you saying that little children are reasonable for this massacre? Unbelievable..."  
  
"Yes, I know." The man sighed. "I find it hard to believe myself. The first boy was transparent, we could not see him good, but he did not seem to be by himself. We saw another boy with him. Later on we thought we saw that same boy walking towards the village, we attacked him but before we could wound him he used the power of a stone that was in his hand to throw us back. It did not harm us much, I think he was just trying to escape."  
  
"What happened to him, chi?"  
  
"Well, we fallowed him back to the village to see him with the boy whom was with the killer. They looked exactly alike the two of them."  
  
"Twins?" Golem asked.  
  
"Yeah. Identical." The man then shuddered. "The one with the killer attacked my friends and I. The only five surviving members of this whole village. He attacked with a stone as well, but it wasn't in his hand. It was in his heart. Unlike his brother he hurt us bad. Two of us died of our injuries. The two of them escaped with a wagon and two horses. We did not see what happened to the transparent boy. "  
  
END FLASH BACK 'If...if Senki was the boy with the stone in his hand then...' Holly realized with increasing horror. 'Then Genki was the boy with the stone in his heart...the boy whom killed two men....'  
  
She saw by the expressions on her friends faces that they too realized this. She shook her head feeling a little numb.  
  
"No...."  
  
"Tell us how you both got those stones." Tiger demanded but Senki did not answer. The boy seemed to be staring at something past them in fright, but when they turned to look they could not see anything.  
  
"Senki what is it?" Holly asked gently seeing the expression of terror of the boy's face.  
  
"He's here...." He whispered in a shaky, quite voice. "Rion..."  
  
"Who's Rion?" Golem questioned.  
  
Before Senki could answer the sky grew dark, and a insane laughter echoed throughout the village. 


	6. Laughter and Death

Chapter six; Laughter and death  
  
The sky grew dark and cold, though it was still the afternoon it looked like night, and though summer, it felt like the dead of winter. The laughter echoed all around them and it was soon accompanied by the screams of the villagers.  
  
"What's going on?" Colt cried out, shivering from both cold and fear.  
  
"Senki who's Rion?" Pixie demanded.  
  
"I...I don't know...he..." Senki eyes glazed over slightly. "He's the boy in white."  
  
"The boy in white?" Alan repeated.  
  
The older twin shook his head dizzily, his eyes returning to normal. "H..how did I know that?"  
  
"What?" Suzo gave him a confused look.  
  
"The thought just came into my head." Senki explained. "Sometimes I can pick up what Genki's thinking or feeling....but how would he know that? Never mind. I need to find him. It was nice meeting you."  
  
"Hold on!" Tiger called him back. "It would not be wise to be by yourself."  
  
"Tiger's right." Holly agreed. "We'll split up into teams to both look for Genki and help villagers escape from hear."  
  
"Right." Alan turned to the monsters. "Golem, Suzo you both stay near the village exit and help guide people out of the village. Mocchi, Tiger, Hare you go and search the east side. Pixie, Colt you both search south side and Holly, Senki and I will search the north."  
  
"Right!"  
  
Senki felt confused, everything was happening so fast around him but he fallowed Alan and Holly anyway, hoping only that by doing so he would find his brother in time.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Reid..." Genki murmured as he staggered down the streets feeling dizzy, the world around him was spinning. The world around him was completely out of focus. He wondered dizzily through the streets, not knowing why or where he was going. In fact he was barely even aware that he was walking, his mind seemed cluttered with the thoughts of someone else. The darkness around him was thick, and the only light strong enough to cut through it was the light of the stone that Deyarteb had embedded into his chest. The corrupted light acted like a beacon guiding him forward and he fallowed it not really knowing why.  
  
"Reid, you traitor...why did you do it? Why....?" He heard the whispers being spoken by his lips but he did not know the meaning of them. He felt a deep sadness in his heart and he could feel tears coming down his cheeks as he weakly stumbling towards where the light was pulling him. "Why....? Reid...I..."  
  
He stopped walking, standing still for a moment, the world was spinning all around him, but within the confusion he felt a sudden anger, a deep betrayal, a deep, undying hate.  
  
"Why...!?"  
  
He did not know if he said it or just heard it, but the question was demanded with such force, such everlasting contempt and betrayal that it pierced the very heavens themselves. Genki fell onto his two knees, the area around him was starting to become darker and fade. He collapsed onto the dirt with a soft moan.  
  
"Sen-chan...where are you...?"  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"I–I think we've helped all the people we can.." Colt trembled as they walked down one of the southern roads of the village they had helped a few villagers back to Golem and Hare, but they also had found many who had been already slaughtered. They were falling down around them like flies, but they did not see anyone near by who could be doing it. Who could kill this quickly and this brutally? Some of these people...they were ripped to pieces, others look partly ate up. Pixie looked away from the bodies in disgust.  
  
"It is disgusting, but we haven't looked every where yet."  
  
"Aw, come on!" Colt whimpered tearfully. "I don't want to wander around here, what if we run into the killer?"  
  
"Then we kick his ass."  
  
"Be serious! We can't beat someone who could do this." Colt gestured towards the mutilated bodies. "Especially not without the others!"  
  
"Colt, shut up."  
  
"Hey–!"  
  
"Shut up!" Pixie repeated harshly. "Listen..." The two women paused, listening to a soft noise that was coming some distance away from them. It was the voice of a young boy, being carried on the wind. It sounded as though he was crying...  
  
"A survivor?" Colt asked.  
  
"Could be." Pixie fallowed the noise with Colt scampering behind her, the fallowed it until they arrived at a row of houses. There was a figure standing in front of them, crying into his hands. He had dark black hair, pale skin, white clothes...  
  
"I'm sorry....I'm so sorry Rion...." The figure was whimpering, and did not even seem to notice them.  
  
"Hey—"Pixie began approaching him. "You better get out of here."  
  
The monster's eyes widened as her hand passed right through the shoulder of the boy as she went touch him. He vanished as though he had never been there. "What the—?"  
  
"AH! P–P–PIXIE!!!" Colt screamed, making the monster turn around to see what her partner was screaming about.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"A–AH....."  
  
Pixie fallowed the girls gaze to see a the boy from earlier walking towards them, his head lowered so his dark hair fell across his face, and his white clothing was covered in blood. He walked slowly and stiffly, his limbs jerking (Think of the girl from the ring) Pixie prepared herself for attack, pushing Colt, whom was particularly useless when it came to fighting behind her.  
  
"Get out of here."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I can take care of this freak. He doesn't look so though, go and get the others."  
  
"O...Ok...." Colt backed up towards the houses, waiting for her chance to be able to safely run past the boy. Pixie smirked at the bloody child tried to hide the fact that she was both disgusted and freaked out by him.  
  
"Well, I hope that you have a mommy you little hell spawn, because you'll need someone to go crying home to when I open a can of whoop ass on you."  
  
The boy did not stop in his movement towards her, or showed even the slightest reaction to her words. Pixie's smirk widened. "Ok then, you asked for it. LIGHTENING!!"  
  
It hit the boy dead on, but he did not even so much as flinch. Pixie stared at him shocked not believing that her attack had no effect before she re- composed herself and began to ready her big bang attack. Colt backed up knowing what she was going to do, and covered her face to protect herself from the dust as Pixie fired her strongest attack at the boy. The girl looked back towards Pixie as the dust and the light of the attack faded, expecting to see the monster grinning in victory and that blood covered boy dead, what she saw was the opposite of what she had been expecting. Pixie was backing up half in shock, half in fear as the boy continued to come towards her without even the slightest wound.  
  
"Th–this is unreal!" She cried out as she backed up into a house, Colt backed away from Pixie as the boy continued to come closer. She wanted to run down the road that was no longer being blocked but she couldn't just leave her friend, could she? As she stood there trying to decide if she should run away and get help or try to do something herself the boy came to a stop directly in front of Pixie, he stared at her for a long time, making Pixie's heart beat rapidly in her chest with a fear she had never known before. Several breath stopping moments passed before the boy reached out his hand and gently caressed the side of Pixie's face with his small, cold, bloody hands. She gasped as a vision flashed before her eyes.  
  
FLASH  
  
Twin boys were standing together before a giant monster an altar. They both had black hair and white clothes. They made a promise. The images changed to show the two boys in the same room, except one was laying on the altar. The image change again and all she could see was blood. A mirror in a golden plate smashed into five pieces, and there was a betrayed agonized scream. Lots of blood. One of the twins were laughing insanely, covered in blood.  
  
FLASH  
  
Pixie could feel herself laying on top of the altar that was in the vision, she could see the area as though it was real. It was too real to be a vision... Above her she heard laughter, insane laughter and saw the bloody twin, the boy in the village, the same boy in the vision, over her, his hands wrapped around her neck as he continued to howl with laughter.  
  
"Die! Die! SUFFER!! EVERYBODY MUST KNOW MY SUFFERING!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"  
  
She screamed as thousands of ghostly arms came out of the boys back and reached towards her, and then all she felt was pain.  
  
Colt screamed, her eyes widening in pure terror, all her senses dulled when it came to this intense fear and all she knew was the haunting image before her eyes. She had saw the boy touch her friend, gently on the face and no more then a moment after the harmless looking caress Pixie was ripped apart by an unseen force, her blood splattering everywhere, including on Colt's face. The girl stared down in disbelief at the lost disk that now stood in Pixie's place and the blood that had splattered everywhere.  
  
'But....but all he did was touch her.....'  
  
Colt fell back with a cry as the bloody boy turned towards her and began to approach. She screamed, pulling herself back to her feet and tried to run away. But, though the boy was walking slowly to him she was just scampering.  
  
"Somebody help me!! Help!" She cried out, stumbling, the laughter of the boy fallowed her. She ran out onto the street screaming taking terrified glances at the bloody boy behind her. Not looking at where she was going she tripped over one of the many slain and fell face first onto the blood drenched dirt. She whimpered, rolling onto her back seeing the bloody boy standing directly over her. No wait...it was not the bloody boy, it was the boy whom had been crying in front of the buildings. Still that did not stop her from screaming until her voice was horse. After all he looked just like the bloody boy except that she could see his face and he wasn't covered in blood. It could even be the same person for all she knew.  
  
"The soul ritual."  
  
The boy spoke it in a whisper before disappearing. Colt stared at the place where the boy vanished, her eye brows creasing in thought as her fear calmed down a little.  
  
'The soul ritual? I recognise that phrase...but from where....?'  
  
"Colt!"  
  
"Colt chi!"  
  
The girl turned towards the voices startled but relaxed as she saw Tiger, Hare and Mocchi running up to her. Had she ran all the way to the west side? Upon seeing them she began to cry, clinging onto Tiger for some sense of comfort.  
  
"He killed her!"  
  
"He killed her?" Hare repeated confused. "The boy..!" Colt sobbed. "He killed Pixie!"  
  
The three monsters stared at the sobbing girl in shock.  
  
"No chi! That can't be true chi!"  
  
"But...Pixie was one of the strongest..." Hare whispered numbly is disbelief.  
  
"Where is he!?" Tiger growled angrily. "I'll make him pay!"  
  
"No..." Colt shook her head sniffling. "It's hopeless. All...all he...he did was...was touch her..."  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying that if he even lays one finger on you, your dead instantly!" Colt shouted at the lupine monster, before she started sobbing again. "That's why he can kill so many, so quickly....one touch and they are ripped to pieces...."  
  
"H-how can we defeat something that we can't even touch?" Hare trembled.  
  
"We have to warn the others chi!" Mocchi exclaimed.  
  
"Right. Hare, Mocchi take Colt to Golem and Suzo. There is no use being hear if we can't even fight the enemy. I'll go find the others." Tiger ran towards the north side, hoping that he would catch up with Holly and the others before it was too late and they met the same fate as Pixie.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Holly wiped a few tears away from her eyes as she walked past the heaps of dead bodies. No one had been spared, not even the very young or the very old.  
  
"Holly." Alan whispered seeing her tears, and held her close. "Don't worry, we'll stop whoever is behind this, somehow."  
  
"Alan...I know we will, but even if we do, their lives wont be restored."  
  
"But we'll avenge them."  
  
"We will..." Holly looked around herself and gasped. "Wait, where did Senki go!?"  
  
Alan's eyes widened and he looked around for the boy whom had been silently tagging along behind them. He was not there anymore.  
  
"Damn, where did he go!?"  
  
"I was so sure he was right behind us..." Holly looked worried, before her eyes flashed with a surprised look as the stone began to glow around her neck. She stared down at it in wonderment, it was pointing out a direction on it.  
  
This way.  
  
She heard the voice and turned around to see two little twin girls standing behind her pointing down a small path in between two buildings.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked them but they just vanished. "Wait!"  
  
"Holly, who are you talking to?"  
  
"There were two little girls standing there a few seconds ago. I think Senki went down there." Holly pointed towards the path that the two little girls had showed her.  
  
"Ok, lets go then." Alan took her hand. "Stick close to me."  
  
"I will." Holly held his hand back and fallowed him, stepping over the bodies and lost disks. Her hand clutched the magic stone, it felt so warm where everything else was so cold. 'Could Genki really be hear in this place....? If so, does he have anything to do with this...?'  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Sen-chan! Sen-chan, come hear! Please come...."  
  
Senki ran down the path hearing his brothers voice calling him. He knew he should of said something to the people he had been with but when he tried to, he felt a disgust in the back of his mind, telling him not to. He figured that the emotion had came from Genki, and so he obeyed his brother's wishes. He arrived outside a large shed, the door was slightly ajar and covered in bloody hand prints. He shuddered, trying to ignore the blood as he gripped the door, pulling it open. He stepped inside, seeing his brother standing in the middle of the room with a sad look in his eyes, he had blood stains on him and as he turned his head to look at him, Senki noticed tears in his brothers eyes.  
  
"Genki."  
  
"Senki, I'm glad your ok."  
  
"Genki, what happened to you? Why are you hear?"  
  
"I don't know. Something lured me hear. I...I saw him. A boy covered in blood, he killed so many...."  
  
"Genki!" Senki ran over to him, giving him a big hug crying. "I was so worried about you. You promised you would not leave me, please, stop leaving me behind. Wait for me next time."  
  
"I will."  
  
Senki calmed his tears after a few moments. "Genki your friends are outside."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your friends, they aren't dead. I saw them all, I'll take you to them if you want." Senki took his brother's hand to lead him out of the shed, but he felt his twin hold his steps as though he did not want to move. "What's wrong, Gen-chan?"  
  
"I don't want to see them."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"The sun..." Holly looked up at the sky as the darkness and cold left and it became sunny again. The bodies still remained, but everything else looked like how it had been before the massacre had happened.  
  
"How odd." Alan looked around himself. "What do you think happened?"  
  
"The magic stone does not feel that negative presence anymore."  
  
"Holly, Alan!"  
  
The two turned towards Tiger whom came running up to them.  
  
"Pixie is dead..."  
  
"What!?" Holly gasped in horror. "Wha....?"  
  
"Colt says that a boy covered in blood touched her and she died instantly."  
  
Holly turned her head away from them as tears snaked down her cheeks. "One touch?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Alan put an arm around Holly to try and comfort her. "Tiger, Senki ran away from us. Can you sniff him out?"  
  
"It'll be hard with all this blood, but I'll give it a try." Tiger sniffed the soil, the smell of blood was overpowering but he managed to pick up a slight trace of Senki's scent amongst it and he gestured with his head for Alan and Holly to fallow him.  
  
"Will you be ok, Holly?"  
  
"Yes, thanks Alan..." She fallowed Tiger and Alan miserably down the ally until they reached a blood covered shed door that was opened they stepped inside, causing two figures to turn around to look at them startled. Holly's eyes widened as she found herself staring at both Senki and Genki, despite her sorrow she smiled taking a few steps towards them.  
  
"Genki, it's really you..."  
  
Genki did not say anything, he just lowered his eyes towards the floor sadly. 


	7. Conflicts of interest

Chapter Seven; Conflicts of interest  
  
Colt waited with the others near the gate, all in all a hundred people had made it safely out of the village, however this village had a population of around 500 hundred so more had died rather then survived this slaughter. They mourned the death of their friend Pixie, not believing that the child had killed her simply by touching her. Colt could not get the words spoken by the boy out of her mind. 'The soul ritual.' What was it? What importance did it have?  
  
"I hope that Holly is ok..." Suzo looked worried.  
  
"I'm sure that Tiger will be coming back hear with her any minuet." Hare sounded more like he was trying reassure himself.  
  
"But what about Genki, chi?" Mocchi turned to them watery eyed. "Senki said he was somewhere in the village. What if the baddie got him, chi?"  
  
Hare and Suzo exchanged looks. If Genki had been in this village, then it would be a miracle if he had survived this massacre. Though they did not want to tell Mocchi that, the little monster had been crying for Genki for years now, wanting to see him again. If Genki's body was found among the dead then Mocchi would probably never recover, but at the same time they did not want to give him any false hope. The little monster turned back worriedly, watching for Holly and the others.  
  
"About Senki." Golem began, not having spoke in awhile. "Despite what the villagers in the last town said, I think we can trust him. He has kind eyes."  
  
"Well according to them Senki did not really hurt anybody it was Genki who..." Hare stopped himself, but Mocchi caught onto what they were saying.  
  
"Genki would not hurt anybody chi!" The pink monster turned away from them angrily.  
  
"Hare." Suzo whispered. "Do you think that it's true? That Genki really killed those two people?"  
  
"I don't see what purpose they would have in lying about it." Hare frowned. "But I'm sure it wasn't a deliberate action on Genki's part. Kind of like how Senki accidentally attacked that merchant. It might have been an involuntary action that happened because he felt threatened. Or at least I hope that was all it was..."  
  
"GENKI CHI!!" Mocchi suddenly exclaimed happily as Tiger, Holly and Alan approached them, accompanied by the twins whom trailed behind them. Hare, Suzo, Golem and Colt turned to fallow the little monsters gaze, happy to see their friends were alright and shocked and glad to see that Genki was really with them. The clear eyed boy glanced up half heartedly as Mocchi ran over to him, jumping into his arms. Senki held Genki's shoulders to steady his physically weak brother as he looked ready to fall off balance by the monsters weight. Holly glanced towards Genki with a strange expression, she was glad to see him and had ran up to him giving him a big hug by the boy barely reacted to it. He did not even smile. Tiger caught her glancing back at him and whispered to her.  
  
"Something is differently wrong with him."  
  
"He's not acting like the Genki I knew." Alan commented.  
  
"Hmm, maybe he's just in shock about the massacre." Holly suggested and turned back to see Mocchi hugging Genki happily. She frowned seeing that he was barely returning the hug, but fortunately Mocchi was too happy to notice his friends complete lack of enthusiasm. However their friends waiting at the village gates noticed even from where they stood.  
  
"Is it just me or does Genki look like he's not exactly happy to see us?" Suzo glared at the boy who did not so much as smile at them.  
  
"He doesn't." Hare just looked puzzled. "Strange. We parted on good terms. Well...he did think we were dead, so maybe he's just confused..."  
  
"Genki, I'm glad your back chi!" Mocchi smiled up at his friend.  
  
"Hm. What are you guys doing hear?" Genki put Mocchi down gently, he looked kind of pale.  
  
"We were revived after battle, chi!"  
  
"Is that so...?"  
  
By now Mocchi was beginning to notice the expressionlessness in his once cheerful friends attitude.  
  
"Chi? Is something wrong, Genki?"  
  
"Yeah, if you were any colder we'd have frost bite." Alan snapped at him.  
  
"Leave him alone." Senki frowned at him slightly angry. "He's not feeling well..."  
  
"Sick chi?"  
  
"Yeah." Genki put his hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet in the blood drenched soil. "These surroundings don't make me feel much better."  
  
"Genki do you know anything about the killer?" Tiger asked. "The villagers in the last village said that they saw you with him..."  
  
"They saw me escaping from him. I don't know who he is."  
  
"Well what about this then." Alan began a little too hostile. "They say you killed two villagers in your little escape act."  
  
"They asked for it." Genki replied calmly. "I would not of had to attack them if they did not try to attack us. It's not my fault they assumed we were baddies."  
  
"Well, he didn't mean to kill them." Senki began trying to explain his brother's actions, finding that Genki was making himself sound guilty of 'trying' to kill the men when he knew it had been accidental.  
  
"What I don't get is how you got hear." Hare began. "And those stones..."  
  
"Well they..." Genki started, but stopped as he staggered of balance getting caught by his brother before he hit the ground.  
  
"Genki!" Holly exclaimed worriedly.  
  
"What's wrong, chi!?"  
  
"Gen-chan...." Senki shook him gently. "Are you feeling weak again?"  
  
"Hm-mmm." Genki nodded tiredly, pushing himself back to his feet, his twin hovered behind him in case he collapsed again.  
  
"No wonder, with all the running around you did." Senki turned to the group. "Can we get out of this place? I don't like it hear."  
  
"I double that." Colt spoke up. "I can't stand this place a moment longer."  
  
"But we should burry the dead..." Holly started.  
  
"We've been burying far too many people lately."Tiger sighed taking a glance at the twins. "If you both do not mind we would like to lay the dead to rest."  
  
"Ok." Genki nodded. "We'll wait."  
  
"Let's go back to the wagon Genki, you need to lay down." Senki began to lead his brother back towards the wagon, letting the younger teen lean against him for support. Colt and Mocchi fallowed them, Colt just wanted to get out of the village while Mocchi just wanted to stay with Genki.  
  
"Something weird is going on with him." Tiger concluded.  
  
"That's for sure. Genki does not seem like Genki."  
  
"Hare's right. Since when was he so gloomy?"  
  
"I don't know Suzo." Holly sighed. "But, what do you suppose is wrong with him?"  
  
"I think we should be careful around those twins Holly." Alan looked a little angry. "Something is telling me not to trust them."  
  
"Hm. But Genki..." Holly trailed off. She was happy that her friend was alive, but he had changed. Even though he was hear now, perhaps their friend was dead after all.... 


	8. Exchange of stories

Chapter Eight; Exchange of stories  
  
Holly and the others walked over to the wagon after burying the dead, it was setting on to dusk. They found Genki, Senki, Mocchi and Colt setting in it. Somehow the horses had escaped death yet again. Colt and Senki were conversing, while Genki looked as though he had fallen asleep, Mocchi was cuddled up beside him.  
  
"Hey guys!" Colt called to her friends as she say them approaching. "I translated some more of the ancient text!"  
  
"That's good." Holly wondered over to her, climbing into the back of the wagon.  
  
"It's not much, but listen to this. The soul mirror is the key to the ritual of the soul. There are a few parts hear I can't make out, but it seems to me that the ritual involves both an ancient monster and twin children."  
  
"Twin children?" Hare glanced over at Senki and Genki. "You two were captured by Deyarteb, right?"  
  
"Actually we were brought hear by him." Senki explained. "We were just setting in the park talking when this portal opened up and we were pulled through. We woke up in his dungeon."  
  
"Did he do anything to you?' Tiger took a worried glance over at Genki whom seemed to be having a troubled sleep. Senki glanced over at his brother with a frown.  
  
"Oh... well..."  
  
"When we got to the wagon and Genki wasn't there." Alan began, jumping onto the wagon and began to steer the horses out of the village going down a calm road, everyone looked glad to leave the carnage behind them. They would be stopping for night soon of course, but no one in their right mind would want to sleep in that village. "You said that he couldn't wander far, why is that?"  
  
"Yeah, the Genki we knew had tons of energy to spare." Suzo added. "What happened?"  
  
"Did Deyarteb do something to him?" Hare looked concerned.  
  
'Yes. Well, um, no..." Senki sighed pushing his hands shyly into his lap. 'Well, you see...since Gen-chan got back from this world nearly three years ago he hasn't really been the same. "  
  
"What do you mean?" Holly asked worriedly.  
  
"Well. He took sick, and he never really recovered from it." He told them, but left out the fact that his brother's sickness had been caused by depression. He had a feeling that Genki would not be too happy if he told them that. "His body stayed weak, and just walking has become a great strain on him. The most he can walk for is ten minutes at a very slow pace and even that exhausts him. Mostly he is bed ridden..."  
  
"Oh my god.' Holly put her hands to her mouth alarmed. "That's terrible!"  
  
"Poor kid..." Hare breathed. "That must be a living nightmare for someone like him."  
  
"No wonder he's acting so gloomy."  
  
"I think that is enough to make anyone depressed." Colt looked sympathetic. "Poor Genki..."  
  
"I just can't picture him bed ridden." Tiger looked at Genki with a pained expression. "Do you think it's a disease he caught from our world?"  
  
'No rather because of your world.' Senki found himself bitterly thinking, though he did not think it was *his* thoughts. He took a glance at his sleeping twin. Did Genki feel that way?  
  
"Did anything else happen to him Senie?"  
  
He looked over at Colt whom had been flirting with him for hours, slightly blushed by the nick name. "Well...he kind of stopped...well, he did not like being with other people. He became anti-social, and reclusive. He was bittier to others, but not to me. He always stayed the same with me, but then again...we are twins."  
  
"Sounds like your close." Tiger commented.  
  
"We are. Sometimes we can hear each others thoughts or feel each others feelings. Genki does not mean to be cold, he's just sad. I am sure that deep down he is happy to see you. Maybe he's just embarrassed because he's so sickly."  
  
"So, what did Deyarteb do to you?" Holly asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.  
  
"After we woke up in the cell, he took Genki down to the bottom of his tower. I did not know what to do, I could not get out of my cell until..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"The boy that killed everyone...he came to my cell and opened it. He grabbed my hand and...' Senki looked down at the white stone. "I saw a vision of twins making a silent promise in front of an alter, then I saw one twin laying on the alter. Lots of blood, then a scream, and then one of the twins covered in blood, laughing. He was one of those twins, I don't know if he was the blood covered on or not. When the vision was over, he was gone and this stone was embedded into my hand."  
  
"Hey, now that you mentioned it, Pixie.." Colt choked saying the name of their dead friend. She had told Genki about the death but he did not have that great of a reaction to it. "And I...we saw a boy crying in front of the house apologizing to someone named Rion, then we saw the bloody boy whom looks just like him. I ran from the bloody boy but when I tripped and looked behind me I saw the boy that had been crying standing over me and he whispered the words, soul ritual."  
  
"Didn't you whisper the name Rion when the darkness came?" Alan asked in a slightly accusing tone. He did not seem to like the twins very much, Holly noted with discomfort.  
  
"Yes I did." Senki confessed. "But I don't know why I did. It just popped into my mind."  
  
"Can you tell us what happened to Genki in the tower?" Holly asked quickly before Alan could start something, he looked itching to start a fight.  
  
"I'll tell you." Genki startled them. He sat up, careful not to wake Mocchi. "He dragged me down to a room where there was a huge monster. It was so big that I could only see it's head. Underneath it's head was glowing purple stones, and directly under the mouth was a blood stained alter. The mirror was in the alter. I demanded to know what Deyarteb wanted with us, and what that monster was." Genki's eye brows creased. "He just laughed, and caressed me, telling me to call it slaughterer because it would slaughter everyone when he wakes it up. He tried to convince me to work together with him. Of course I refused but then he..."  
  
"He did what Genki?" Holly looked at her friend with great concern shining in her eyes, Alan huffed a little jealously as he continued driving the horses.  
  
Genki raised up his shirt, revealing the stone embedded in his chest. Holly and the others drew back looking at it in disgust, it looked like it had hurt like hell. "He shoved this r inside of me. It hurts a lot. The energy from it burns me. It looks just like the stones that were under the head of that monster."  
  
"This looks like a good camping site." Alan stopped the wagon as they came to a clearing in the woods. It took only a few moments for most of the group to pile out of the wagon. Mocchi stayed sleeping inside, and Genki looked as though he'd be very comfortable just staying in the hay, and Senki looked equally comfortable with the idea of just staying close to his brother.  
  
"So, can you tell me what's been happening hear?" Genki requested.  
  
"A few months ago Deyarteb and his five followers showed up and then just began to kill massive amounts of people. We learnt from ancient texts that the soul mirror holds the power to defeat something called the 'Legendary monster.' So it should have the power to defeat Deyarteb."  
  
"With the little bit more I was able to translated and according to your story, we have found out that the mirror is a key item in something called the soul ritual, and that the ritual is performed by twins and it has something to do with the legendary monster. Judging by what you have told us I think that the monster that Deyarteb called Slaughterer is actually that ancient monster. I think that he wants to bring about that monsters revival." Colt looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know just what this soul ritual is yet, but it is performed by twins, maybe he brought you both hear to perform that ritual...maybe the ritual is key to reviving it..."  
  
"I refuse to take part in any ritual." Senki whispered. "I just want to go home..."  
  
Genki nodded at his brother. "Me too."  
  
The friends whom knew Genki well exchanged baffled looks. Last time Genki came hear the very thought of going home had been a nightmare now he wanted to go home and they hadn't even been together for a day. It kind of hurt. Didn't he want to be part of the team anymore? Did he abandon their friendship? If so why? Why would he do that?  
  
"Holly, I thought stone was destroyed." He suddenly spoke gesturing towards the magic stone around Holly's neck.  
  
"It was, but when Deyarteb showed up...I had a dream that night of two little girls...twins girls. They held the stone out to me and when I woke up I had it. It no longer points out mystery disks but pieces of the mirror or as it would seem, when...when we're around that negative energy, the kind that was in that village."  
  
"Did you find much of the mirror?"  
  
"Well thanks to you and Senki we now have the power plate and two pieces of the mirror. We had came to the village thinking that there was a mirror there but we were just picking up the one you had."  
  
Genki glanced over at the group, his eyes were cool and calm. He noticed that the others were staring him as with confusion and hurt, wonderment and puzzlement, except for Mocchi whom was still asleep at his side. Holly, Suzo, Mocchi, Tiger, Hare, Golem, and Colt. Pixie was dead. He never thought that he'd see any of them again....he didn't want to see any of them again...  
  
Holly just finished checking the magic stone. "I think that there is a mirror piece three villages from hear. It should not take long at all to get to if we use the wagon."  
  
"Your coming with us right kid?"  
  
"Yeah!" Hare pipped up. "It'll be like old times again!"  
  
'Old times...' Genki repeatedly bitterly to himself but forced a smile. "But of course. I would never miss out on a journey with you guys."  
  
Senki frowned, he did not think that the others had hear it but there had been a venom behind his brothers words and a bitterness to both his smile and eyes. He did not know what was making his brother so angry...it wasn't like him... "Genki, I am glad that your back." Holly smiled at him, believing that his smile had been genuine. "I want you to know that we did look for you and that we never stopped missing you."  
  
"............."  
  
"Well..." She smiled, a little blushed. "I...I just wanted to say, it's nice to have you as part as the team again."  
  
"Hm."  
  
The group settled down for sleep not longer after that, and exhausted by the days events the majority of them quickly feel asleep except for Golem whom took a worried glance at their old friend whom had curled himself up in the hay.  
  
'Clear eyes, no more...' He thought as slowly he too drifted off into sleep. 


	9. Acting the wrong role

Chapter nine; Acting the wrong role  
  
–DREAM–  
  
"Ow! Stop it! Stop it!" a five year old Senki whimpered as some bullies beat him up in the play ground at school. "I'll get my brother if you don't stop!"  
  
FLASH  
  
Little Senki covered his ears as the bullies beat up on little Genki who tried to fight back.  
  
FLASH  
  
"Genki!" Their mother was scolding him. "I always said not to fight, what am I ever going to do with you?"  
  
"But mom..."  
  
"No buts! In your room!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"Now! Because of you Senki got hurt as well, if you didn't start fights."  
  
"But I didn't...."  
  
Little Senki whom had been watching from the bed room door whimpered as he saw his mother back handed his brother across the face. He stood there trembling as Genki walked past him into the room with tears in his eyes.  
  
"Gen-chan...."  
  
Genki gave him a betrayed look. "You always get me in trouble...."  
  
FLASH  
  
Senki found himself standing on a street in the rain. He grew cold and pale, he knew this place—that was when the accident had happened....he looked down the street to see an eight year old him and Genki arguing.  
  
"No..." He whispered stepping forward, knowing what was going to happen. This image had haunted his dreams since the day it happened, but....but it was never clear and the memories had always been kind of fuzzy. He saw his past self turn away from Genki and ran off into the street. A car was coming. Senki closed his eyes not wanting to watch, but the image still appeared in his mind. Genki screamed his name and ran forward, pushing him out of the way of the car, getting hit himself. Everything else after that was a blur. The images vanished from Senki's mind and he found himself floating in a void of darkness.  
  
"I'm dreaming aren't I? Gen-chan, don't leave me alone in this dream. I don't like being alone like this....without you I...."  
  
The darkness disappeared and he found himself standing in the room with the giant monster and the alter.  
  
"Sen-chan..."  
  
"Genki?" He turned around hopefully, smiling as he saw his brother standing behind him. Genki smiled and walked up to him, taking his hands gently.  
  
"My big brother." The younger twin smiled sweetly. "Are you going to betray me again...?"  
  
Senki's eyes widened in terror as the form of Genki changed and became that of the bloody boy whom began to laugh in murderous glee. ––End Dream----  
  
8 Days Remaining  
  
"Ah!" He opened his eyes frightened to see his brother leaning over him with a concerned expression.  
  
"Senki, relax it was just a dream."  
  
Senki took a deep breath trying to calm down. "What a creepy nightmare...what time is it?"  
  
"I don't have a watch, but I think that it's about 1 am. It's still dark."  
  
"Oh. I guess we should be getting back to sleep, then."  
  
"Not so fast."  
  
Senki looked over at his brother confused, seeing a mischievous smile on his face accompanied by a dark glint in his eyes. Senki could not say he cared much for the expression but asked anyway. "What is it?"  
  
Genki glanced over at the sleeping members of the group, his smile widening. "I have no intention in joining up with them. What do you say we take the mirror pieces and continue on our own?"  
  
"What?" Senki gave his brother a shocked look. "But aren't they...weren't they your friends?" "Once upon a time. Come on, Sen-chan, what do you say? Let's go. We only need to get three more pieces of the mirror and then...."  
  
"And then we go home?"  
  
"..........." Genki glanced over at the sleeping members, his eyes landing on Holly. "Thanks to her, we know that the next piece is three villages from hear so...."  
  
"But we can't. If we take the wagon that will make too much noise and wake them up, and you can't walk far..."  
  
"Oh, we'll leave them the wagon." Genki smirked. "We'll just take the horses."  
  
"This isn't like you....."  
  
"I just don't want to be around them. I'm going if you agree or not, but we promised we'd stay together so..."  
  
"Yeah, we did promise. Ok, I'll come with you."  
  
"Thanks Sen. Come on, let's hurry before we wake 'em up."  
  
The two twins moved swiftly and quietly in unhooking the horses from the wagon, and taking the power plate with the two pieces of mirror in it, using extreme stealth in not waking the others. Senki felt like a real meanie, he had no idea what they would say if the group woke up and caught them in the act–or if they ended up getting caught later. Genki jumped onto one of the horses and helped Senki climb up onto the other.  
  
"Are you sure we should be doing this?"  
  
"Sure I'm sure, besides." Genki grinned a very un-Genki-like smile, taking a look back at the sound asleep rebels. "I think the role of a goodie is the wrong role for me this time."  
  
"..................."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"R–right!" 'Oh man...' Senki thought to himself as they sped away from the camp sight. 'Those guys are going to be sore about this in the morning.' 


	10. Speculation

Chapter 10; Speculation  
  
"AH!"  
  
Holly woke up to hear Alan's shocked and angry cry. Everyone was woke up by it, and they all saw exactly what it was that had made Alan scream as soon as they opened their eyes. The wagon was still there, but the horses were gone and so was the pieces of the holy mirror. Those weren't the only things gone, so was the twins. Everyone was speechless for a moment before Alan finally screamed.  
  
"THOSE LITTLE BRATS!!!"  
  
"Y-You think Senki and Genki did this?" Colt looked shocked.  
  
"There is no way Genki would..." Tiger began in denial.  
  
"No way he would huh?' Alan pointed towards the missing horses. "I think that he *did* ! Your friend and his brother just robbed our sorry assess! I can't believe we fell for their 'Oh, we were kidnapped from our home by a mean scary monster, and we want to help you.' crap! Ah! What morons we were!"  
  
"Genki would not betray us chi!" Mocchi growled at Alan angrily.  
  
"He was acting strange." Hare frowned hurt as he thought about Genki's behaviour. "Maybe that wasn't really Genki."  
  
"What do you mean Hare?" Suzo arched his eye confused. "It looked like Genki to me."  
  
"Just think about it. They said they were brought hear by Deyarteb, doesn't it strike you as odd that both got away from one of the most powerful baddies ever relatively unharmed, and it's even odder that Deyarteb or any of his followers would put stones in their bodies to make them even stronger, and hear is the real confusing part. We all know how desperate Deyarteb is to get the completed mirror, why would he let them escape so easily with both a piece of it and the power plate? It seems that during their escape with the iron bird that they did not even run into him, only his follower Lain who was rather weak against the new powers Deyarteb gave them. Oh, and why would Deyarteb after trying to bring Genki over to his side, why would he leave Genki alone in that room where Senki could easily get to him, or where he could wake up and escape. It almost sounds as though..."  
  
"Deyarteb *wanted* them to get away." Tiger concluded. "But why?"  
  
"That Tiger is a million gold question. One theory is that maybe Deyarteb tricked us. Maybe those are just two more of his followers taking the guise of Genki and Senki...maybe a real Senki doesn't even exist, Genki never mentioned having a brother last time he was hear." "So your saying we were tricked by two doppelgangers?" Colt blinked confused.  
  
"That is a theory but..."  
  
"But, chi?"  
  
"But that does not add up well. If Deyarteb took so much care in finding a Genki double to deceive us then I find he would of gotten him to act more in character. I also don't see the reason he would have in making him a twin brother either. Senki only weakens the doppelganger theory."  
  
"How come?" Tiger, despite himself, looked slightly interested in Hare's theory..  
  
"Well, think about it. If those two were actors then wouldn't Deyarteb of picked the stronger of them to play Genki's role. The Genki we knew was energetic, hyper, cheerful, but the Genki we met yesterday was weak, sickly and gloomy while Senki was healthy. If they were actors it would make more sense for Deyarteb to of cast the healthy twin as Genki and the sickly one as Senki instead of the other way around, which means that it must really of been Genki and Senki last night."  
  
"So all in all this leads back to them just being brats." Alan concluded temperedly.  
  
"Hold on. The other theory is that maybe those stones embedded inside of them did something to them, maybe they are being controlled like zombies by Deyarteb, which would explain Genki's detached attitude and, well despite being the healthy one, Senki isn't exactly the life of the party either."  
  
"So their being controlled?"  
  
"Maybe. Another thing that is on my mind is that...well..." Hare looked a little uncomfortable with what he was about to say.  
  
Holly felt a sick feeling in her stomach. She refused to believe that Genki would do such a thing to them. He couldn't of...he wouldn't of....he was there friend.... "Well." Hare finally continued. "It strikes me as very odd that in both of those great massacres the twins were present, but not only that but..."  
  
"But...?"  
  
"In each case, Genki and Senki were separated from each other. I don't know if that has any importance but...it's strange."  
  
"Genki would not steal from us no matter what chi!" Mocchi looked pissed off at hoe this whole conversation had went. "He and Senki were probably kidnapped by baddies, chi!"  
  
"Get real!" Alan scolded. "Kidnapped with no commotion what so ever? Oh, and why would the baddies take our horses, huh? Can you tell me that?"  
  
"Alan stop it." Holly's voice was quite but it was spoken in a way that quieted everyone. She was clutching her skirt in her fists, fighting to hold back tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Just the mere thought that Genki had betrayed them caused her heart to ache in her chest. She refused to believe that it was true, still she could not deny the facts but...there had to be another explanation for it. There just had to be. "Let's just go find them, and let's hear what they have to say for themselves about it."  
  
"But Holly..."  
  
"I know in my heart that Genki would not turn his back on us. I believed in him back then, and I still believe in him now. Even if he has changed, he is still our and always will be our friend." 


	11. Why?

Chapter 11; Why?  
  
'I wonder why I am doing this.' Genki thought as they stopped to let the horses rest after having them run at a quick pace all morning. It was the afternoon and they had stopped at a small lake to get a drink and rest. He stared down at his hands which were wet with water that he had been using to wash the blood from off his skin and clothes. 'I don't understand why...why I have so much hate in my heart...'  
  
"Genki..." Senki stared at his brother worriedly. "Your not acting like yourself at all. Why did you do that? They are...were...your friends, weren't they?"  
  
"They were."  
  
"Then why? Why the past tense?"  
  
Genki sighed, closing his eyes. "I don't want to be hurt again."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Last time I came hear, I was happy. They were my friends, I thought that we would be together forever...but we weren't." Genki opened his eyes and stared down at his hands which were shaking. "With my own two hands I was forced to combine them, which is rather an equivalent to killing them. No–wiping their very existence out, a fate worst then death. With these own two hands...I destroyed the best friends I ever had."  
  
"But their back! So why....?"  
  
"I don't ever want to do it again!" Genki's voice turned angry as he clenched his shaking hands into trembling fists. "Now that their back...what if I have to kill them again?"  
  
"So...is the reason your so angry at them an defence mechanism to distance yourself so you don't hurt them?"  
  
Genki laughed a little ruefully, and shook his head. "No. Senki, you should know better then that."  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"Once upon a time I loved the monster world. I would spend much of my waking hours thinking about it, and about going there–but now...."  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Now I hate this world—and everyone in it."  
  
Senki stared at his brother a little frightened. "Why would you?"  
  
"Because this whole world betrayed me! Used me!" Genki could feel his anger rising and fought to keep it under control. "I had fought so much, cared so much, shed so many tears for this world and the creatures living on it. I suffered–I killed. I did things and saw things that has left permeant deep scars on my heart and my reward for it all—was to be tossed out as soon as my usefulness was over. The only reason why I was ever brought here was for me to kill my friends, use my energy to combine them into that damn Phoenix. After that–I was no more use and sent away. I was not even allowed to stay even a minute to see the rewards of all those tears, all that suffering, all that slaughter! No....this world got rid of me as soon as 'my job' was done. It did not even give me a choice in coming here...if I had known what I would have to do and what would happen then...I never would of came. I don't want to kill anyone anymore...and I don't want to be used by anyone anymore."  
  
"You blame them....your friends...."  
  
"Yes. I blame Suzo, Tiger, Golem, Hare and Mocchi for leaving me, for making me kill them, and I blame Holly for bringing me into this world in the first place. If she had never unlocked me then..."  
  
"............"  
  
"I blame this whole world. This whole world used me....I trusted this world...but it betrayed me. My friends promised that we'd always be together but it was a lie. I don't ever want to be betrayed like that again."  
  
Senki knelt down next to his brother reassuringly, and hugged him. "Don't worry. Even if this world betrays, uses and abandoned us, we'll always have each other. I'll never leave or will I ever betray you."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
'Lair.'  
  
******************************  
  
Well, this was a big update eh? Nine chapters in one night! I'm on a role!! Please leave a review and tell me if you would like to see more! 


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